Miss the vein once, try try again, I swear.
Ok, kids. You just about never get this from me, but I'm going to step up on a soapbox for a second. Actually, it's not a soapbox exactly, because what I'd really like to do is open up a dialogue—a discussion of something that no one seems to be talking about, and that, no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to come to an understanding or acceptance of. So hopefully someone can help me do just that.
The subject is coke. Oh, you know. Blow. The good ol' nose candy from the '80s that's come back with such a vengeance.
I have to admit, this confuses and dismays me. And don't get me wrong: I am by no means against recreational drug use in general. Whatever. I've always been a "try anything" kind of guy, and certainly see the appeal—and even value—of indulging in just about anything once in a while. (When "indulgence" becomes "addiction," well, that's another thing entirely, and not the subject of this post.)
But coke, man. Drugs like coke are in a class by themselves. I have strong personal feelings on the subject—and not just because people on coke tend to be really fucking annoying. And as with other emotionally charged issues, I'm frequently engaged in my own quiet, internal struggle between the urge to judge and/or condemn, and the conviction that I should always refrain from judging the decisions of others. This is especially relevant in terms of people I know who use (who, unless they're reading this, have no idea I feel this way), since I care about them and know them to be good people, and therefore have to work especially hard to accept this particularly devastating decision they've made.
But there are things I just can't get out of my head... The international coke trade is one of the most horrific global "industries" on the planet. It supports slavery, murder, and heinous abuses of human and civil rights the world over, and has proven to be one of the most destructive forces in the "developing world." It's responsible for untold suffering and oppression. And as usual, the very few get very rich (and very powerful) at the expense of many.
Knowing these things, the idea of middle-class Americans recklessly shoving this shit up their noses honestly makes me sick to my stomach. More than Hummers, more than McMansions, more than Wal-Mart, more than clothing made by children in Asia, more than diamonds and oil and the forceful spreading of "democracy," coke use is the ultimate disregard, the ultimate fuck-you to the world outside our borders. And it's not even a good or service we can claim to need! It's a quick snort and an awesome high. And as usual, it comes at the great expense of the oppression and exploitation of people we'll never see or know.
And that's just it. See, as far as I'm concerned, coke is clearly much larger than a "quick snort and an awesome high." And no doubt, the folks who indulge are not wantonly or intentionally reckless. They've probably never thought about these things. For that's the great legacy of the west: complete alienation from the systems of supply that meet all of our demands; complete lack of understanding of what goes into creating that which is consumed, leading to a skewed and often irrational system of values.
It's not hard to see how the rest of the world interprets this attitude as something really gross, like, "Who the fuck cares about supply, as long as our demands are met. Who gives a damn where the white powder comes from and how it got into my dealer's hands (which, incidentally, he probably hasn't even considered), as long as it gets there and subsequently gets up my nose."
But more likely, it's just never been considered in these terms by the owners of said noses. And why would it be? The clean white powder is handed over in a clean little baggy, by someone with clean hands who had absolutely nothing to do with whatever parts of the process were really dirty. And it's an awesome high, readily available, at a time when we're all feeling pretty low.
So this is how I see it. (Obviously, this is something I've been thinking a lot about.) Anyone care to help me see it otherwise?
The subject is coke. Oh, you know. Blow. The good ol' nose candy from the '80s that's come back with such a vengeance.
I have to admit, this confuses and dismays me. And don't get me wrong: I am by no means against recreational drug use in general. Whatever. I've always been a "try anything" kind of guy, and certainly see the appeal—and even value—of indulging in just about anything once in a while. (When "indulgence" becomes "addiction," well, that's another thing entirely, and not the subject of this post.)
But coke, man. Drugs like coke are in a class by themselves. I have strong personal feelings on the subject—and not just because people on coke tend to be really fucking annoying. And as with other emotionally charged issues, I'm frequently engaged in my own quiet, internal struggle between the urge to judge and/or condemn, and the conviction that I should always refrain from judging the decisions of others. This is especially relevant in terms of people I know who use (who, unless they're reading this, have no idea I feel this way), since I care about them and know them to be good people, and therefore have to work especially hard to accept this particularly devastating decision they've made.
But there are things I just can't get out of my head... The international coke trade is one of the most horrific global "industries" on the planet. It supports slavery, murder, and heinous abuses of human and civil rights the world over, and has proven to be one of the most destructive forces in the "developing world." It's responsible for untold suffering and oppression. And as usual, the very few get very rich (and very powerful) at the expense of many.
Knowing these things, the idea of middle-class Americans recklessly shoving this shit up their noses honestly makes me sick to my stomach. More than Hummers, more than McMansions, more than Wal-Mart, more than clothing made by children in Asia, more than diamonds and oil and the forceful spreading of "democracy," coke use is the ultimate disregard, the ultimate fuck-you to the world outside our borders. And it's not even a good or service we can claim to need! It's a quick snort and an awesome high. And as usual, it comes at the great expense of the oppression and exploitation of people we'll never see or know.
And that's just it. See, as far as I'm concerned, coke is clearly much larger than a "quick snort and an awesome high." And no doubt, the folks who indulge are not wantonly or intentionally reckless. They've probably never thought about these things. For that's the great legacy of the west: complete alienation from the systems of supply that meet all of our demands; complete lack of understanding of what goes into creating that which is consumed, leading to a skewed and often irrational system of values.
It's not hard to see how the rest of the world interprets this attitude as something really gross, like, "Who the fuck cares about supply, as long as our demands are met. Who gives a damn where the white powder comes from and how it got into my dealer's hands (which, incidentally, he probably hasn't even considered), as long as it gets there and subsequently gets up my nose."
But more likely, it's just never been considered in these terms by the owners of said noses. And why would it be? The clean white powder is handed over in a clean little baggy, by someone with clean hands who had absolutely nothing to do with whatever parts of the process were really dirty. And it's an awesome high, readily available, at a time when we're all feeling pretty low.
So this is how I see it. (Obviously, this is something I've been thinking a lot about.) Anyone care to help me see it otherwise?
posted by P/O at 4/11/2006 12:11:00 PM
1 Comments:
Bill Cosby, of all people put it best:
"The guy said to me, 'cocaine intensifies your personality.' And I asked him, 'But what if you're an asshole?'"
Who isn't an asshole on coke, anyway? Uh...no one. Global geo-political issues aside (though they are an important consideration), it makes people aggressive and obnoxious and nasty. Gross gross gross.
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